Should I let my 14-year old take #beer to parties?

With the end of term approaching, festivities are well underway. Dear Daughter has been invited to back-to-back parties over a 48-hour period. I’ve agreed to her going because isn’t it nice for her to hang out with her friends in other people’s gardens while enjoying a can of coke or lemonade?

Hold it there! These days that soft drink is more likely to be a mixer because some bright spark has snuck in an Evian bottle full of – who knows, but it’s not melted snow from the French alps, that’s for sure. And even Dear Daughter, who used to look down on this kind of thing, asked if I could slip her a few cans of lager to oil the forthcoming social wheels. Naturally, she would buy it herself but there was just this problem about being underage …

Much as I was grateful for her raising the issue, I said no. Firstly because I couldn’t immediately figure out who should pay for it. Dear Daughter has a monthly allowance but it’s supposed to be for clothes (although much of it goes on make-up and lunch at Costa). Would I have to up her allowance with bevvy money or stick a six-pick on the weekly shop? I’m not sure the Aperol fund wants to stretch to that. Especially as, at that point, DD had five friends with her, all looking puppy-eyed.

Secondly, there’s the point of view of the receiving parent/carer. I know I wouldn’t be thrilled to see most of the U14 netball team bearing down on my lovely house with a slab of Carlsberg. The answer of course is to consult the host’s responsible adult in advance. But apparently, I was warned, this results in social death. So advice please! Have I been too harsh or should I hide the Smirnoff Ice in the bottom of the gym bag? I would love to know your thoughts. Let me know in the comments below or on our Facebook page here.

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Putting aside that it's illegal and bad for them, you can't win either way. Our child isn't fussed about drinking but asked to take some beer to a party. We let them take a few cans. However, once at the party they were told that apparently, it wasn't the right beer and wasn't strong enough!

Having said that, I think it was a reasonable compromise. Let them take just a couple of cans of the weakest beer you can buy maybe with a bottle of lemonade to make a shandy!

Putting aside that it's illegal and bad for them, you can't win either way. Our child isn't fussed about drinking but asked to take some beer to a party. We let them take a few cans. However, once at the party they were told that apparently, it wasn't the right beer and wasn't strong enough!
Having said that, I think it was a reasonable compromise. Let them take just a couple of cans of the weakest beer you can buy maybe with a bottle of lemonade to make a shandy!